Want to beat the heat today by sitting in an air-conditioned municipal building doing nothing? Here's where to find cooling centers in Prince George's County.

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You’re walking along the hazy sidewalks, the sun beating down like it’s trying to cook burgers on your unhatted head. Tongue feeling like leather, you pull out the Gatorade bottle for a swig. A solitary drop of orange-colored/flavored beverage falls out and turns to steam on the sidewalk. The heat is merciless, unending; everything starts getting fuzzy….

Suddenly! A river of cold air is all around you. It’s venting from an ugly, municipal-looking building, probably built somewhere in the ‘70s and chock-full of asbestos. Still, this is life and death here. Ducking in, you take a seat among scores of catatonic refugees in a blissfully air-conditioned room. Ahh, that’s better. Now if only you had brought a book.

Cooling centers: Is there no surer sign that summer’s misery is upon us? (Even if it is a day early?) Prince George’s County has opened six of them today, two for seniors and the rest for overheated persons of all ages. Here is where, and when, you can find them: